Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Establishment Division Senator Ahad Cheema on Thursday directed authorities to develop a structured investment mechanism to enable Overseas Pakistanis to invest in viable national infrastructure projects.

He issued the directions while chairing a high-level meeting to review Pakistan’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) pipeline in railways, highways, power and airports.

“We ask Overseas Pakistanis to invest in Pakistan; we must also provide them with credible, convenient and professionally structured avenues to do so,” the minister said.

He directed officials to explore an investment fund or similar mechanism allowing Overseas Pakistanis to participate in major infrastructure projects without directly establishing or managing businesses in the country.

He said the mechanism should offer transparent, commercially attractive opportunities with safeguards and defined returns, channelling overseas savings into national assets.

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali welcomed the proposal and agreed it should be examined for development into a workable framework.

On the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project, Cheema said the government’s first priority would be financing through multilateral and development partners. With the Karachi-Rohri section being pursued with the Asian Development Bank, he directed that PPP options for remaining sections be retained as a secondary option.

He directed the Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A) to assess the Lahore-Rawalpindi section of ML-1 under a potential PPP model, given its potential to cut travel time between the two cities.

The meeting also reviewed the Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway, with the minister noting approval from the Prime Minister’s Office and directing authorities to move swiftly on technical and preparatory work, calling for tangible progress within three months.